It takes time

Jodie slowly awakes, smelling the familiar stench of coffee wafting throughout her room. Shifting around and sitting up, she notices that with the help of the soft glow of her bedside table lamp, that she wasn't in her room, but a strange replication.

There were cameras stationed in every room and a huge mirror on the left wall of the main area. Jodie squirmed out of her bed, which is her own bed, and in a panic, tried to open the front door.

Gripping the handle tight, Jodie pulled and pushed, but the door was locked. Then, without warning, the thick metal door opened, causing her to be pushed over and fall on the carpeted floor below.

A man in a lab coat walked in, looked down at the girl and smiled sweetly. Jodie has seen him before, sometimes walking alongside with Dr. Dawkins.

"Good morning, there. My name is Dr. Cole Freeman, Jodie. Cole, if you like. Cole introduced himself, as her helped Jodie to her feet.

Jodie tries to bravely smile, but glancing back at her 'fake' room, she bursts into tears running to her bed, the only real thing in her life now.

Realizing her struggle, Cole walks over and sits next to the frightenef girl.

"I know it's difficult Jodie, I went through the same thing, years back." Jodie lifts her head from her huddled knees and looks at Cole, questioningly.

"You..you were taken away to?" Jodie asks, through tearful eyes. "Not exactly." Cole answered, stifling back a laugh. "I signed up to join the military. In order to do that, I had to leave my family." Cole pauses, now deep in thought. "Being away for so long, you start getting vivid flashbacks of times you really missed. I remember one time, my brother and I made these crazy inventions together. On my Dad's fiftieth birthday we put his cake on a small triggerd airbag, the size of a balloon, in a decorative box. When he leaned in to blow out the candles, we triggerd the airbag." Jodie let out a short gasp of surprise. "But, instead of pushing the cake against Dad's face, the whole cake exploded! Icing and bits of cake went everywhere. "Jodie rocked back and forth, laughing. "Yep, my brother and I had to clean the entire house for two months, after that prank. Yeah, my brother... Well, I just wanted you to know that even though you're in a new place, there will always be someone around who cares about you, ok?"

Focusing back on her situation, Jodie began t frown, but remembering Coles advice may keep her in a better mood. "Thanks, Dr. Free-.. Cole.